SERVICES
Acupuncture
An acupuncture treatment uses very fine, single-use, disposable needles made from surgical-grade steel. Much, much smaller than the type you might be used to, acupuncture needles barely feel like anything more than a tiny poke.
Acupuncture is an effective way of stimulating healing by blocking pain receptors, releasing endorphins, and restoring energetic harmony to the body. Everything you do in your life - interacting with the environment around you, eating, moving, breathing, sleeping, and thinking - can either contribute to your health (harmony inside the body) or to your illness (disharmony). A course of acupuncture treatments gently directs the body’s resources towards the areas they are most needed, stimulating your natural ability to heal.
Acupuncture Services
Traditional Chinese Medical Acupuncture
Treatments for internal illnesses like menstrual pain/dysfunction, infertility, digestive or intestinal conditions, insomnia, fatigue, chest and breathing problems, dermatological concerns, and aches, pains, or injuries.
Scalp Acupuncture
Treatments for neurologically related conditions such as concussion, stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, brain injury, other motor or sensory dysfunction (sight, hearing, speaking), and back pain.
Cupping
Silicone, plastic, or glass cups are applied to the skin by creating a vacuum that lifts up tissue (skin, fat, and muscle) to increase blood circulation through the area and trigger the immune system’s repair and recovery processes.
Cupping in North America is typically used to ease tension or stiffness, relieve pain, and reduce inflammation, but traditionally it is used for a much wider range of medical conditions. Treatment can involve leaving the cups on one area for a few minutes, sliding them around (moving cupping), and other techniques.
Cupping treatments often leave circular marks on the body that last for about 1 week. The colouring of cupping mark varies by person and can be used to gauge the severity of the problem. The marks may be tender immediately after treatment but this usually gone 24-48 hours later (this is different than having a bruise from an injury!).
Tuina Massage
Sometimes called “acupressure massage”, tuina can be used for both internal and external conditions and is an excellent option for those nervous with needles. Great for relieving muscle tension and pain, tuina also manually stimulates acupuncture points to treat many of the same conditions that can be addressed with acupuncture.
Moxibustion
Commonly referred to as “moxa” this therapy uses dried mugwort burned over-top of or near certain acupuncture points on the body to rapidly decrease pain, warm cold conditions, strengthen the body’s natural healing abilities, and prevent disease. The smell can be fairly strong, even from smokeless forms, so there are often restrictions when it comes to using this therapy in clinic. However, with appropriate direction from a trained practitioner, moxa can be used as a “take-home” treatment for patients between appointments.
Guasha
A rounded tool is used to scrape the skin and increase blood flow to a local area. Similar to cupping this can stimulate the immune system’s repair and recovery processes and can be used to treat tension, stiffness, pain, and inflammation. Traditional guasha leaves marks that are quite dark (do a Google search and you’ll see the worst examples) but many North American practitioners opt for less dramatic looking treatments, so the marks called “sha” or local redness, fade quickly and do not cause pain.
Herbal Medicine
Chinese herbal medicine uses specific medicinal substances, mostly plants, combined into formulas to treat a wide variety of health conditions. Herbal formulas can come in liquid, powder, or pill form, and the quality (and subsequent cost) vary a lot depending on where they come from or how they are processed. Anything put into the body can have a healing or harming effect, so a conversation about daily eating habits is an important adjunct to any herbal prescription.
The herbal prescriptions I use are processed and distributed by River Herbs in Markharm which provides sulphur-free, organic, lab-tested Chinese herbs that are authentic and effective. They can be shipped directly to your home, fully prepared and ready to consume.